Naomi Osaka delighted after 'great' fan gives Japanese a hand-written note cheering her on during Libema Open 2024

Naomi Osaka recently expressed delight at receiving a handwritten note from one of her devout fans at the 2024 Libema Open.

Osaka, who was out of action last year, is enjoying a respectable comeback season. Ranked 125th, the former World No. 1 has won 15 of her 25 matches this year. She is currently competing at the Libema Open in s'Hertogenbosch, having already made it to the quarterfinals.

Naomi Osaka has yet to drop a set at the WTA 250 tournament and will face 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu in the quarterfinals on Friday (June 14). Before her next match, the 26-year-old took to her Instagram account on Thursday to show her followers an adorable note she received from a fan.

The front end of the note featured a sketch of her hitting a double-handed backhand on the run with a smile on her face. A pink flower and several blades of grass were also on it. A heartwarming message from a fan named Julie was on its back end.

"Dear Naomi, Good Luck! All the best, julie (your great fan)," the message read.

Via Naomi Osaka's Instagram stories

The four-time Major winner proceeded to thank the fan by posting the note on her Instagram stories.

"Thank you 🥹❤️," Osaka wrote in the caption of her Instagram story on Wednesday.

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Naomi Osaka had won only 11 matches on grass before Libema Open 2024

Naomi Osaka at 2019 Wimbledon

This week, Naomi Osaka has been in good form at her first WTA event on grass in nearly five years. The former World No. 1 began her campaign at the 2024 Libema Open with a 6-2, 6-4 rout of World No. 32 Elise Mertens. She won with an even more dominating scoreline in her next match, beating local favorite Suzan Lamens 6-2, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals of the 250-level tournament.

Osaka had previously gone 11-9 in her grasscourt outings from 2017 to 2019, following which she didn't play a single match on the surface. The Japanese's best result on grass came in 2018; she won three back-to-back matches to reach the semifinals of the 2018 Nottingham Open, where she was denied in straight sets by eventual winner Ashleigh Barty.

The four-time Major winner's best result at Wimbledon, meanwhile, is reaching the third round (2018-19). She gave a good account of herself at the grasscourt Major in those years, losing to Angelique Kerber and Venus Williams — both of whom have triumphed at SW19.